Settlement device and application program

Abstract

To improve user's convenience while making it possible to use points given by a point service as common points.SOLUTION: A settlement server 20 for providing a first settlement service is provided with a second acquiring part 230a, a determining part 230b and a display control part 230c. The second acquirer 230a acquires a first number of points when the first number of points is input by the user as a part of a purchase price of a commodity on a purchase site of the commodity managed by a member store and the user selects a first settlement service from among a plurality of settlement services. The determining unit 230b determines a third number of points obtained by subtracting the first number of points from a second number of points available to the user in the first settlement service. The display control unit 230c causes the third number of points to be displayed on the terminals of the users as the number of points that can be appropriated by the users to purchase the products.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a payment device and an application program. [Background technology]

[0002] Point services that award points according to the payment amount at the time of payment and also allow the awarded points to be used for at least part of the payment amount are becoming popular. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that enables each branch to enhance sales promotion services that encourage repeat visits by using a dual service of common points issued by multiple branches and branch points that can be issued by each branch. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-116838 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Point services are sometimes provided as separate services from payment services that provide payment methods. In such cases, points awarded by the point service may be considered as common points that can be applied to part of the purchase price of a product, regardless of the payment method. When using such common points to pay for a product, the process may be as follows: first, on the product purchase website, a user specifies the number of common points to be applied to the purchase price, then selects a payment service to be used to pay for the purchase price, and then completes the procedures for the selected payment service.

[0005] However, in the above process flow, inconveniences can arise when the user is required to specify the number of points to be applied to the payment amount in the payment service (hereinafter referred to as "appropriated points"). When proceeding with the payment service in the above process flow, the number of points available to the user as applied points has been reduced by the number of points specified as common points. However, if the user forgets that they have used some of their points as common points, an error due to insufficient points may occur during the payment service process, preventing further processing, and reducing convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A payment device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure provides the first payment service, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires a first number of points entered by a user as part of the purchase price of a product at a product purchase site managed by a member store of a first payment service, a determination unit that determines a third number of points obtained by subtracting the first number of points from a second number of points available to the user in the first payment service, and a display control unit that displays the third number of points on the user's terminal as the number of points available to the user for purchasing the product.

[0007] In addition, an application program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure causes a processing device of the terminal to display on the display device of the terminal a third number of points obtained by subtracting a first number of points entered into the terminal as part of the purchase price of a product at a product purchase site managed by a member store of a first payment service from a second number of points available to the user of the terminal in the first payment service. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, the third number of points obtained by subtracting the first number of points input in advance by the user as common points from the second number of points can be displayed on the terminal, thereby improving user convenience. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a payment system 1 including a payment device according to an embodiment of the payment device of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a management table TBL stored in the point server 30. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal 10. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a first payment screen GA displayed on a display device 140 of the terminal 10. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a selection screen GB displayed on the display device 140 of the terminal 10. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a second payment screen GC displayed on the display device 140 of the terminal 10. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a payment server 20. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of communication in the payment system 1. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in a notification process SB120 executed by the processor 230 of the payment server 20 according to a program PR2. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in a third display process SA130 executed by the processor 130 of the terminal 10 according to the payment program PR1. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing the process flow of a payment request process SA140 executed by the processor 130 of the terminal 10 according to the payment program PR1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (A. Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a payment system 1 including a payment server 20 according to an embodiment of the payment device of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, in addition to the payment server 20, the payment system 1 includes a terminal 10, a point server 30, a web server 40, and an affiliated store server 50. In FIG. 1, a user U using the terminal 10 is indicated by a dotted line. As shown in FIG. 1, the terminal 10, the payment server 20, the point server 30, the web server 40, and the affiliated store server 50 are connected to a communication network NW by wire or wirelessly. The communication network NW is, for example, the Internet.

[0011] The terminal 10 is a computer device equipped with a communication function for communicating with other devices via a communication network NW and a program execution function. The terminal 10 in this embodiment is a smartphone, but may also be a tablet terminal, a notebook personal computer, or the like. The terminal 10 is not limited to portable computer devices such as smartphones, tablet terminals, or notebook personal computers, but may also be a stationary computer device such as a stationary personal computer. Although one terminal 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1, multiple terminals 10 may be included in the payment system 1.

[0012] The payment server 20 is a computer device for providing a payment service (hereinafter referred to as payment service A) that mediates payments in commercial transactions conducted via the communication network NW. The payment server 20 is operated and managed by a business operator (hereinafter referred to as business operator X) that provides the payment service. The payment service A is an example of a first payment service in the present disclosure. When a user U uses the payment service A, an application program dedicated to the payment service A must be installed on the terminal 10. In this embodiment, the application program is pre-installed on the terminal 10.

[0013] The point server 30 is a computer device for providing a point service (hereinafter, point service C) that awards points (hereinafter, points PA) according to the payment amount. The point server 30 is operated by an operator X. In this embodiment, payment service A and point service C are provided by the same operator, but the former and the latter may be provided by different operators. The points PA awarded by point service C can be used to cover at least a portion of the payment amount in payment service A, with 1 point equaling 1 yen, for example. The point server 30 stores a management table TBL. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the management table TBL. As shown in FIG. 2, the management table TBL stores the number of points PA held by a user who has registered to use point service C, in association with user identification information for uniquely identifying the user. Note that the user identification information in this embodiment is information that uniquely identifies a user who has registered to use point service C, and is also information that uniquely identifies a user of payment service A. A user U in this embodiment is a user who has registered to use point service C, and the user identifier of user U is "UID_1." FIG. 2 shows that the number of points held by user U in point PA is 5375 points.

[0014] In this embodiment, when a payment is processed by the payment server 20, a completion notice indicating the details of the payment is sent from the payment server 20 to the point server 30. This completion notice includes the user identification information of the user who made the payment and the number of points PA allocated to the payment amount. The point server 30 updates the number of points held by the user who made the payment according to the payment details indicated in the completion notice. For example, if the payment server 20 sends a completion notice to the point server 30 indicating that user U has made a payment by allocating 100 points of points PA to part of the payment amount and that the number of points generated in connection with the payment is 0, the point server 30 updates the number of points held, which is stored in the management table TBL in association with user U's user identification information "UID_1," to 5375-100+0=5275.

[0015] The affiliated store server 50 is a computer device operated by a retail business (hereinafter referred to as business Y) that is affiliated with both payment service A and point service C. The affiliated store server 50 is a computer device for realizing a product purchasing site (hereinafter referred to as purchasing site W) operated and managed by business X. A user U can access the purchasing site W using a terminal 10 and purchase various products. Payment service A can be used to pay for the purchase of these products, and points corresponding to this payment are awarded by point service C, and the user can use the points he or she holds to pay at least a portion of the purchase price.

[0016] In this embodiment, business operator Y is also a member of another payment service (hereinafter referred to as payment service B) different from payment service A. Therefore, payment service B can also be used to pay for the purchase price of a product at purchase site W. In other words, at purchase site W, either payment service A or payment service B can be selected as the payment method for the purchase price of a product. Therefore, in this embodiment, points PA awarded by point service C can be applied to at least a portion of the purchase price of the product to make a payment using payment service B. In this embodiment, points PA can be applied to the purchase price of a product at purchase site W and can also be applied to the payment amount in payment service A, so they are called "common points." In this embodiment, the payment amount is the purchase price of the product minus the number of points PA applied as common points.

[0017] In this embodiment, when a user of terminal 10 makes an application to purchase a product at purchase site W and selects payment service A as the payment method for the purchase price, payment information representing the payment details is notified from affiliated store server 50 to payment server 20. Payment server 20 instructs terminal 10 to launch the dedicated application program described above via web server 40. Web server 40 is an example of an external device in the present disclosure.

[0018] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the terminal 10. As shown in Fig. 3, the terminal 10 includes a communication device 110, a storage device 120, a processing device 230, a display device 140, an input device 150, and a bus 160 that interconnects these devices.

[0019] The communication device 110 includes, for example, a wireless communication circuit. The communication device 110 communicates with other devices wirelessly via the communication network NW. Specific examples of other devices that communicate with the communication device 110 include the affiliated store server 50, the payment server 20, and the web server 40.

[0020] The display device 140 includes a liquid crystal display and a drive circuit for the liquid crystal display. The display device 140 displays various images under the control of the processing device 130. The input device 150 is, for example, a transparent touch sensor that covers the display area of ​​the display device 140. In this embodiment, the display device 140 and the input device 150 form a touch panel. The input device 150 detects a touch operation by a user. The input device 150 provides operation content data representing the detected operation content to the processing device 130. By exchanging this operation content data, the user's operation performed on the input device 150 is transmitted to the processing device 130. The input device 150 may include an operator such as a numeric keypad, or may also include a pointing device such as a mouse.

[0021] The storage device 120 is a recording medium readable by the processing device 130. The storage device 120 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). The volatile memory is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage device 120 stores a web browser and a payment program PR1. Note that the web browser is not shown in FIG. 3. The web browser is used to view web pages of the purchase site W. The payment program PR1 is a dedicated application program for using the payment service A. The payment program PR1 is an example of an application program of the present disclosure.

[0022] The processing device 130 includes one or more central processing units (CPUs). The one or more CPUs are an example of one or more processors. Each of the processors and CPUs is an example of a computer. The processing device 130 reads the web browser from the storage device 120 when an instruction to run a web browser is received via an operation on the input device 150. The processing device 130 then executes the web browser read from the storage device 120. The processing device 130, operating in accordance with the web browser, accesses the affiliated store server 50 when the address of the purchasing site W is entered via an operation on the input device 150. The processing device 130, operating in accordance with the web browser, displays a login screen, a product selection screen for selecting products to purchase, a first payment screen GA for performing payment procedures at the affiliated store, and a selection screen GB for selecting a payment method, in accordance with data (e.g., HTML (HyperText Markup Language) data) returned from the affiliated store server 50. The login screen and product selection screen are not particularly different from the corresponding screens on conventional purchasing sites, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. The first payment screen GA and the selection screen GB will be described below.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the first payment screen GA. Viewing the first payment screen GA, a user can specify the number of points PA to be used as common points, the payment method, and the delivery date and time, and can confirm the order details. The input field GA1 in FIG. 4 allows the user U to input the number of points PA to be used as common points toward the purchase price of the product. FIG. 4 shows an example in which 100 points are used toward the purchase price of the product. The tag GA2 in FIG. 4 is a tag that allows the user U to select a payment method. When the tag GA2 is pressed, the processing device 130 displays a selection screen GB on the display device 140. The selection screen GB will be described in detail later. The tag GA3 in FIG. 4 is a tag that allows the user U to select a delivery date and time. When the tag GA3 is pressed, the processing device 130 displays a list on the display device 140 that allows the user to select "morning," "afternoon," or "not specified" as the delivery date and time. FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which the delivery date and time is "not specified." The order details GA4 include the quantity, unit price, shipping fee, subtotal, and total price of the product requested for purchase. The subtotal price is calculated by multiplying the unit price of the product by the quantity of the product requested for purchase, plus shipping fee. The subtotal price is calculated for each product. The total price is the sum of the subtotal prices for multiple products, and this total price is the purchase price. Note that if the user only purchases one type of product, the total price will be the same as the subtotal price.

[0024] In this embodiment, when tag GA2 is pressed, the processing device 130 transmits a request message to the affiliated store server 50 requesting the transmission of data representing the selection screen GB. Upon receiving this request message, the affiliated store server 50 returns data representing the selection screen GB (e.g., HTML data) to the terminal 10. The processing device 130 displays the selection screen GB shown in FIG. 5 in accordance with this data. As shown in FIG. 5, the selection screen GB has a radio button GB1 for selecting payment service A and a radio button GB2 for selecting payment service B as payment methods for the purchase price of the product. By viewing the selection screen GB, user U can select payment service A as the payment method for the purchase price of the product by pressing radio button GB1. Similarly, user U can also select payment service B as the payment method for the purchase price of the product by pressing radio button GB2.

[0025] When an operation to select payment service A is performed on the terminal 10 while the selection screen GB is displayed, the processing device 130 sends a notification to the affiliated store server 50 including the user's selection (i.e., that payment service A has been selected) and the user identification information of user U. Upon receiving this notification, the affiliated store server 50 sends a notification to the payment server 20 indicating that payment service A has been selected by the user with user identification information "UID_1". Upon receiving this notification, the payment server 20 instructs the terminal 10 via the WEB server 40 to launch the payment program PR1.

[0026] When the processing device 130 receives an instruction from the web server 40 to start the payment program PR1, it reads the payment program PR1 from the storage device 120. By executing the payment program PR1, the processing device 130 functions as a first acquisition unit 130a, a first display control unit 130b, a reception unit 130c, and a payment request unit 130d.

[0027] As described above, before the payment program PR1 is launched, the number of common points (hereinafter referred to as the first number of points) to be used as part of the purchase price of the product is input by the user U on the first payment screen GA. After the payment program PR1 is launched, the first acquisition unit 130a acquires the number of points PA that the user U can use (hereinafter referred to as the third number of points). The third number of points is a value obtained by subtracting the first number of points from the number of owned points (hereinafter referred to as the second number of points) stored in the management table TBL of the point server 30 in association with the user U's user identification information.

[0028] More specifically, in this embodiment, the first acquisition unit 130a first notifies the affiliated store server 50 of the activation of the payment program PR1. In response to this notification, the affiliated store server 50 transmits payment information indicating the user's payment details and the user U's user identification information to the payment server 20. This payment information includes the quantity, unit price, shipping fee, total amount (purchase price), and first points for the products that the user U has requested to purchase. The payment server 20 previously communicates with the point server 30 to acquire the second points for each user of the point service C (hereinafter referred to as point linkage), and determines the third points by subtracting the first points included in the payment information from the second points. The payment server 20 then notifies the terminal 10 of the third points. In other words, the first acquisition unit 130a acquires the third points by communicating with the payment server 20.

[0029] The first display control unit 130b displays a second payment screen GC on the display device 140. The second payment screen GC includes the payment amount, which is the purchase price of the product minus the amount corresponding to the first points, and the third points. The second payment screen GC is an example of a "payment screen of a terminal provided by a payment program" in this disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the second payment screen GC. If the purchase price is 5,980 yen and the first points are 100 points, the payment amount will be 5,880 yen, as shown in FIG. 6. Note that FIG. 6 shows that the number of points PA awarded to user U for this payment is 0. Furthermore, by selecting tag GC1 on the second payment screen GC shown in FIG. 6, payment details such as the quantity, unit price, shipping fee, total amount, and first points of the product requested for purchase can be confirmed.

[0030] Furthermore, on the second payment screen GC shown in FIG. 6, the user U can check the number of points PA available for use by selecting tag GC2. Specifically, the third number of points is displayed in the output area GC3 of the second payment screen GC. The user U can also input the number of points PA to be applied to the payment amount (hereinafter, the fourth number of points) in the input area GC4 of the second payment screen GC. This fourth number of points must be equal to or less than the third number of points. Conventionally, the third number of points was not displayed, and the user U might forget that they had used part of the points PA as common points and enter a fourth number of points that exceeded the third number of points, resulting in an error. According to this embodiment, the third number of points is displayed, allowing the user U to accurately grasp the number of points PA available for use and preventing the user U from entering a fourth number of points that exceeds the third number of points.

[0031] The reception unit 130c receives input of the fourth number of points on the second payment screen GC. The reception unit 130c also receives payment instructions input by the user. When the payment request unit 130d receives the fourth number of points, which is equal to or less than the third number of points, and the payment instruction, it sends a payment request including the fourth number of points to the payment server 20. In this case, since the fourth number of points is equal to or less than the third number of points, it is an allocable number of points. Therefore, the payment server 20 does not need to return an error due to insufficient points to the terminal 10. On the other hand, if the fourth number of points exceeds the third number of points, the payment request unit 130d displays an error on the display device 140. The terminal 10 determines whether the fourth number of points exceeds the third number of points, and if so, displays an error, thereby reducing the processing load on the payment server 20. The above is the configuration of the terminal 10.

[0032] Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the payment server 20. As shown in Fig. 7, the payment server 20 includes a communication device 210, a storage device 220, a processing device 230, and a bus 260 that interconnects these devices.

[0033] The communication device 210 has an interface to which other devices can be connected, and communicates with other devices wirelessly or via a wired connection via the communication network NW. Specific examples of other devices that communicate with the communication device 210 include the affiliated store server 50, the point server 30, the WEB server 40, and the terminal 10. The storage device 220, like the storage device 120, includes a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory. Examples of the non-volatile memory include ROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. Examples of the volatile memory include RAM. The storage device 220 stores the program PR2.

[0034] The processing device 230 includes one or more CPUs. The one or more CPUs are an example of one or more processors. Each of the processor and the CPU is an example of a computer. The processing device 230 reads the program PR2 from the storage device 220, for example, when the power (not shown) of the payment server 20 is turned on. The processing device 230 executes the program PR2 read from the storage device 220. The processing device 230 operating in accordance with the program PR2 functions as a second acquisition unit 230a, a determination unit 230b, a second display control unit 230c, an output unit 230d, and a payment unit 230e.

[0035] The second acquisition unit 230a acquires payment information and user identification information of the user making the payment indicated by the payment information by communicating with the affiliated store server 50 using the communication device 210. As described above, the payment information includes the purchase price of the product and the first number of points. That is, the second acquisition unit 230a acquires information indicating the purchase price of the product and the first number of points. The second acquisition unit 230a also acquires a payment request by communicating with the terminal 10 operating in accordance with the payment program PR1. This payment request includes the aforementioned fourth number of points. That is, the second acquisition unit 230a acquires the fourth number of points from the terminal 10. The second acquisition unit 230a is an example of an acquisition unit in the payment device of the present disclosure.

[0036] The determination unit 230b determines the third number of points. The determination unit 230b determines the third number of points by subtracting the first number of points indicated by the payment information from the second number of points related to user U acquired through the point linkage. The determination unit 230b also determines the payment amount by subtracting the amount corresponding to the first number of points from the purchase price included in the payment information.

[0037] The second display control unit 230c generates data representing the second payment screen GC described above. The second display control unit 230c transmits this data to the terminal 10, thereby causing the second payment screen GC to be displayed on the terminal 10. As described above, the second payment screen GC displays the payment amount obtained by deducting the amount equivalent to the first points already entered at the purchasing site W from the purchase price, so that the user U can recognize the amount that needs to be paid. The second display control unit 230c is an example of a display control unit in the payment device of the present disclosure.

[0038] Upon receiving the selection notification from the affiliated store server 50, the output unit 230d communicates with the web server 40 and causes the web server 40 to send a startup instruction to start the payment program PR1. The selection notification is a notification indicating that payment service A has been selected as the payment method. According to this embodiment, when the user U selects payment service A on the purchase site W, the payment program PR1 is automatically started on the terminal 10, improving convenience for the user U.

[0039] The settlement unit 230e executes the settlement by deducting the amount corresponding to the fourth number of points included in the settlement request from the settlement amount. According to this embodiment, after the settlement program PR1 is started, the settlement is executed by deducting the fourth number of points entered by the user U, thereby encouraging the use of points by the user U. When the settlement unit 230e completes the settlement, it sends a completion notice indicating the completion of the settlement to each of the terminal 10 and the point server 30. The completion notice sent from the settlement unit 230e to the point server 30 includes the user identification information of the user who made the settlement and the number of points used by the user (the sum of the first number of points and the fourth number of points). When the point server 30 receives the completion notice, it updates the management table TBL according to the content of the received completion notice. For example, if the completion notification received from the payment server 20 includes user U's user identification information "UID_1" and the number of points used by user U is 5375 (first number of points: 100, fourth number of points: 5275), the point server 30 updates the number of points held stored in the management table TBL in association with the user identification information "UID_1" to 0.

[0040] Next, the operation of each device included in the payment system 1 will be described using the example of a case where user U purchases a product at purchase site W and selects payment service A as the payment method. Note that in the operation example described below, the processing device 230 of the payment server 20 operates in accordance with program PR2. Figure 8 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of communication in the payment system 1. Figure 8 shows the flow of communication after user U logs in to purchase site W and selects the product he or she wishes to purchase. Note that in the operation example described below, point collaboration between the payment server 20 and point server 30 has already been performed before user U accesses purchase site W. In Figure 8, communication COM1 related to this point collaboration is indicated by a dotted arrow.

[0041] When a user U selects a product they wish to purchase on the terminal 10, which is displaying a product selection screen at the purchasing site W on the display device 140 using a web browser, the processing device 130 sends a communication message MES1 to the affiliated store server 50, requesting the transmission of data representing a first payment screen GA. This communication message MES1 contains identification information indicating the product desired to be purchased and information indicating the quantity to be purchased. Upon receiving the communication message MES1, the affiliated store server 50 generates data representing the first payment screen GA according to the content of the communication message MES1. The affiliated store server 50 then sends a communication message MES2 including the data to the terminal 10.

[0042] When the processing device 130, operating according to the web browser, receives the communication message MES2, it executes the first display process SA110. In the first display process SA110, the processing device 130 displays the first payment screen GA according to the data included in the communication message MES2. As described above, by viewing the first payment screen GA, the user U can specify the number of points PA to be used as common points, the payment method, and the delivery date and time, and confirm the order details. When the user U inputs an instruction to use 100 points PA as common points and to select a payment method (presses tag GA2), the processing device 130 transmits a communication message MES3 to the affiliated store server 50, requesting the transmission of data representing a selection screen GB. When the affiliated store server 50 receives the communication message MES3, it generates data representing the selection screen GB. Then, the affiliated store server 50 transmits a communication message MES4 including the data to the terminal 10.

[0043] When the processing device 130, operating in accordance with the web browser, receives the communication message MES4, it executes the second display process SA120. In the second display process SA120, the processing device 130 displays the selection screen GB in accordance with the data included in the communication message MES4. As described above, upon viewing the selection screen GB, the user U can select either payment service A or payment service B as the payment method for the purchase price of the product by pressing radio button GB1 or radio button GB2. When the user U selects payment service A, the processing device 130 transmits a notification MES5 to the affiliated store server 50, which includes the user's selection and the user U's user identification information. Upon receiving the notification MES5, the affiliated store server 50 transmits a selection notification MES6 to the payment server 20, indicating that payment service A has been selected by the user with user identification information "UID_1."

[0044] Upon receiving the selection notification MES6, the processing device 230 executes the start-up control processing SB110. In the start-up control processing SB110, the processing device 230 functions as the output unit 230d. In the start-up control processing SB110, the processing device 130 transmits to the WEB server 40 a notification MES7 instructing the WEB server 40 to transmit a start-up instruction for the payment program PR1 to the terminal (terminal 10 in this operation example) corresponding to the user identification information included in the received selection notification MES6. The notification MES7 includes the user identification information included in the selection notification MES6. Upon receiving the notification MES7, the WEB server 40 transmits a notification MES8 including the start-up instruction to the terminal 10.

[0045] When the processing device 130 receives the notification MES8, it activates the payment program PR1. The processing device 130, operating in accordance with the payment program PR1, first sends a communication message MES9 to the affiliated store server 50 notifying the activation of the payment program PR1. When the affiliated store server 50 receives the communication message MES9, it sends a communication message MES10 to the payment server 20, which includes payment information indicating the details of user U's payment and user U's user identification information.

[0046] Upon receiving the communication message MES10, the processing device 230 executes the notification process SB120. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the notification process SB120. In the notification process SB120, the processing device 230 first executes the processing of step SB1210. In step SB1210, the processing device 230 functions as the second acquisition unit 230a. That is, in step SB1210, the processing device 230 acquires the purchase price and the number of first points from the payment information included in the communication message MES10.

[0047] In step SB1220 following step SB1210, the processing device 230 functions as the determination unit 230b. That is, in step SB1220, the processing device 230 determines the number of third points for user U by subtracting the number of first points included in the payment information from the number of second points for user U acquired from the point server 30 through the above-mentioned point linkage.

[0048] In step SB1230 following step SB1220, the processing device 230 causes the terminal 10 to display the third number of points determined in step SB1220. More specifically, in step SB1230, the processing device 230 functions as second display control unit 230c. In step SB1230, the processing device 230 transmits a communication message MES11 including data representing the second payment screen GC. That is, the processing device 230 causes the terminal 10 to display the second payment screen GC, thereby displaying the third number of points on the terminal 10. The above is the flow of the notification processing SB120.

[0049] Returning to FIG. 8, the processing device 130, operating according to the payment program PR1, executes the third display processing SA130 in response to receipt of the communication message MES11. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the third display processing SA130. In the third display processing SA130, the processing device 130 first executes the processing of step SA1310. In step SA1310, the processing device 130 functions as the first acquisition unit 130a. That is, in step SA1310, the processing device 130 acquires the third number of points and the payment amount. In this embodiment, the processing device 130 acquires the third number of points by acquiring data included in the communication message MES11 (i.e., data representing the second payment screen GC). This is because the third number of points and the payment amount are displayed on the second payment screen GC. In step SA1320 following step SA1310, the processing device 130 functions as the first display control unit 130b. That is, in step SA1320, the processor 130 displays the second payment screen GC on the display device 140 in accordance with the data included in the communication message MES11, thereby displaying the third points and the payment amount. The above is the flow of the processing in the third display processing SA130.

[0050] Returning to FIG. 8, the processing device 130, operating in accordance with the payment program PR1, executes the third display process SA130 followed by the payment request process SA140. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the payment request process SA140. In the payment request process SA140, the processing device 130 first executes the process of step SA1410. In step SA1410, the processing device 130 functions as the reception unit 130c. That is, in step SA1410, the processing device 130 accepts input of the fourth number of points on the second payment screen GC. Also, in step SA1410, the processing device 130 accepts a payment instruction. Upon accepting the payment instruction in step SA1410, the processing device 130 executes the process of step SA1420.

[0051] In steps SA1420, SA1430, and SA1440, processing device 130 functions as payment request unit 130d. In step SA1420, processing device 130 determines whether the fourth number of points entered on second payment screen GC exceeds the third point. If the fourth number of points entered on second payment screen GC exceeds the third point, the determination result in step SA1420 is "Yes." Conversely, if the fourth number of points entered on second payment screen GC is equal to or less than the third point, the determination result in step SA1420 is "No."

[0052] If the determination result of step SA1420 is "No", processing device 130 executes the processing of step SA1430 and terminates payment request processing SA140. In step SA1430, processing device 130 transmits a payment request MES12 including the user identification information of the user making the payment, identification information indicating the affiliated store selling the product, and the fourth point number to payment server 20. In contrast, if the determination result of step SA1420 is "Yes", processing device 130 outputs an error to display device 140 indicating that the fourth point number exceeds the third point number (step SA1440), and executes the processing from step SA1410 onwards again. The above is the flow of the processing in the settlement request processing SA140.

[0053] Returning to FIG. 8, when the processing device 230, operating according to the program PR2, receives the payment request MES12, it executes the payment process SB130. In the payment process SB130, the processing device 230 functions as the payment unit 230e. That is, in the payment process SB130, the processing device 230 executes the payment by subtracting the amount corresponding to the fourth point number included in the payment request MES12 from the payment amount. Upon completing the payment process SB130, the processing device 230 transmits a completion notification MES13 to the terminal 10 and also transmits a completion notification MES14 to the point server 30. Upon receiving the completion notification MES14, the point server 30 updates the management table TBL according to the contents of the received completion notification MES14. The above is the operation of this embodiment.

[0054] As described above, according to this embodiment, the third point number obtained by subtracting the first point number previously input by the user U from the second point number representing the number of points PA held by the user U can be displayed on the terminal 10, thereby improving convenience for the user U.

[0055] (B: Transformation) The above embodiment can be modified as follows. (B-1: Variation 1) In the above embodiment, the selection of payment service A on the purchasing site W triggers the automatic activation of the payment program PR1 on the terminal 10. However, instead of automatically activating the payment program PR1, a screen that allows the user U to select whether or not to activate the payment program PR1 may be displayed on the terminal 10, and the payment program PR1 may be activated in response to an operation by the user U on the screen. Specifically, the web server 40 may use well-known technology such as "deep link" to display the above screen on the terminal 10 instead of sending the notification MES8.

[0056] (B-2: Variation 2) In the above embodiment, the payment program PR1 is pre-stored in the storage device 120 of the terminal 10, but the payment program PR1 may be manufactured or sold separately. When selling the payment program PR1, the payment program PR1 may be provided to the purchaser by being written to a computer-readable recording medium such as a flash ROM and distributed, or by being downloaded via a telecommunications line. Similarly, the program PR2 may be manufactured or sold separately.

[0057] (C:Other) (1) In the above-described embodiment, ROM and RAM are exemplified as storage device 120 and storage device 220, but storage device 120 and storage device 220 may also be a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-ROM), a register, a removable disk, a hard disk, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, a database, a server, or other suitable storage medium.

[0058] (2) In the above-described embodiments, the described information, signals, etc. may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0059] (3) In the above-described embodiment, input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, memory) or may be managed using a table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be transmitted to another device.

[0060] (4) In the above-described embodiment, the determination may be made based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a comparison of numerical values ​​(e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0061] (5) The order of the process procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. illustrated in the above-described embodiments may be rearranged unless inconsistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0062] (6) Each function illustrated in FIG. 3 is realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Similarly, each function illustrated in FIG. 7 is realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are connected directly or indirectly (for example, using wires, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. A functional block may be realized by combining the single device or the multiple devices with software.

[0063] (7) The programs exemplified in the above-described embodiments should be broadly construed to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., regardless of whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or by other names.

[0064] Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0065] (8) In each of the foregoing embodiments, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0066] (9) The information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or corresponding other information.

[0067] (10) In the above-described embodiments, the terms "connected," "coupled," or any variation thereof refers to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0068] (11) In the above embodiments, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0069] (12) As used in this disclosure, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. as having been "judgment" or "decision." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding some action as having been "judgment" or "decision." Furthermore, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0070] (13) In the above embodiments, when "include," "including," and variations thereof are used, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, the term "or" as used in this disclosure is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0071] (14) In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are plural.

[0072] (15) In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combined" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

[0073] (16) Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to explicit notification, but may be implicit (e.g., not notifying the predetermined information).

[0074] (D: Aspects understood from the above-described embodiments or modifications) Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure. The following aspects can be understood from at least one of the above-described embodiments or modifications.

[0075] A payment device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires a first number of points entered by a user as part of the purchase price of a product at a product purchasing site managed by a member store of a first payment service, a determination unit that determines a third number of points obtained by subtracting the first number of points from a second number of points available to the user in the first payment service, and a display control unit that displays the third number of points on the user's terminal as the number of points available to the user for purchasing the product, and provides the first payment service. According to the payment device of this aspect, the third number of points obtained by subtracting the first number of points entered by the user in advance from the second number of points held by the user can be displayed on the terminal, thereby improving user convenience.

[0076] The acquisition unit in the payment device according to a second aspect (an example of the first aspect) of the present disclosure may acquire information indicating that the user has selected the first payment service from among a plurality of payment services. The payment device of this aspect may also include an output unit that, upon acquisition of the information, outputs identification information identifying the user to an external device to launch an application program used for the first payment service installed on the user's terminal. According to the payment device of this aspect, when the user selects the first payment service on a purchasing site, the payment program is automatically launched, improving user convenience.

[0077] In a payment device according to a third aspect (an example of the first aspect) of the present disclosure, the acquisition unit may acquire the purchase price, the determination unit may determine a payment amount by subtracting an amount corresponding to the first number of points from the purchase price, and the display control unit may cause the terminal to display the payment amount. According to the payment device of this aspect, the payment amount obtained by subtracting an amount corresponding to the first points already entered on the purchasing site from the purchase price can be displayed on the terminal, allowing the user to recognize the amount that needs to be paid.

[0078] The acquisition unit in a payment device according to a fourth aspect (an example of the third aspect) of the present disclosure may include a payment unit that acquires from the terminal a fourth number of points that the user inputs as points to be applied to the purchase of the product on a payment screen of the terminal provided by the application program, and executes payment with an amount obtained by deducting an amount corresponding to the fourth number of points from the payment amount. According to the payment device of this aspect, after the payment program is launched, payment is executed by deducting the fourth number of points input by the user, thereby encouraging users to use points.

[0079] An application program according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure causes a processing device of a terminal to execute the following: displaying on a display device of the terminal a third number of points obtained by subtracting a first number of points entered into the terminal as part of the purchase price of a product at a product purchasing site managed by a member store of a first payment service from a second number of points available to the user of the terminal for the first payment service. The application program of this aspect can display the third number of points obtained by subtracting the first number of points entered before the application program was launched from the second number of points, allowing the user to accurately grasp the number of points available for payment.

[0080] An application program according to a sixth aspect (an example of the fifth aspect) of the present disclosure may cause the processing device to execute the following operations: accept a fourth number of points to be applied to the payment amount input by the user; accept a payment instruction input by the user; and, if the fourth number of points equal to or less than the third number of points and the payment instruction are accepted, send a payment request including the fourth number of points to a payment device that provides the first payment service. According to the application program of this aspect, the fourth number of points is equal to or less than the third number of points, and therefore is an allocable number of points. Therefore, the payment device does not need to return an error due to insufficient points to the terminal.

[0081] An application program according to a seventh aspect (an example of the sixth aspect) of the present disclosure may cause the processing device to display an error on the display device when the accepted fourth point number exceeds the third point number. According to the application program of this aspect, an error can be displayed when the fourth point number exceeds the third point number, thereby reducing the processing load on the payment device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1...payment system, 10...terminal, 20...payment server, 30...point server, 40...WEB server, 50...member server, NW...communication network, 110, 210...communication device, 120, 220...storage device, 130, 230...processing device, 140...display device, 150...input device, 160, 260...bus, 130a...first acquisition unit, 130b...first display control unit, 130c...reception unit, 130d...payment request unit, 230a...second acquisition unit, 230b...decision unit, 230c...second display control unit, 230d...output unit, 230e...payment unit, PR1...payment program, PR2...program.

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires a first number of points input by a user as part of a purchase price of a product at a product purchase site managed by a member store of the first payment service; a determination unit that determines a third number of points obtained by subtracting the first number of points from a second number of points that the user can use in the first payment service; a display control unit that displays the third number of points on a terminal of the user as the number of points that the user can use to purchase the product; A payment device that provides the first payment service.

2. the acquisition unit acquires information indicating that the user has selected the first payment service from among a plurality of payment services; an output unit that outputs identification information for identifying the user to an external device in order to activate an application program used for the first payment service that is installed on the user's terminal upon acquiring the information; The payment device according to claim 1 .

3. The acquisition unit acquires the purchase price, the determination unit determines a payment amount by subtracting an amount corresponding to the first number of points from the purchase price; the display control unit causes the terminal to display the payment amount. The payment device according to claim 1 .

4. the acquiring unit acquires, from the terminal, a fourth number of points input by the user as points to be applied to the purchase of the product on a payment screen of the terminal provided by the application program; a settlement unit that executes settlement with an amount obtained by subtracting an amount corresponding to the fourth point number from the settlement amount, The payment device according to claim 3 .

5. displaying on a display device of the terminal a third number of points obtained by subtracting a first number of points input into the terminal as part of the purchase price of the product at a product purchasing site managed by a member store of the first payment service from a second number of points available to the user of the terminal in the first payment service; An application program that causes the processing device of the terminal to execute the above.

6. accepting a fourth number of points to be applied to the payment amount input by the user; accepting a payment instruction input by the user; When the fourth point number that is equal to or less than the third point number and the instruction for the payment are received, a payment request including the fourth point number is transmitted to a payment device that provides the first payment service. The application program according to claim 5 , which is executed by the processing device.

7. 7. The application program according to claim 6, which causes the processing device to display an error on the display device when the received fourth point number exceeds the third point number.

Images